Mainstream conventional video games have involved executing a program on a standalone information terminal such as a PC (personal computer), a PDA (personal digital assistant), a mobile telephone, a home-use game machine installed in a home, and a commercial game machine installed in amusement facilities such as game centers, with the user (player) playing the game alone. In recent years, ways of playing have been proposed that involve connecting multiple information terminals and having multiple players participate simultaneously in a single video game.
For small scale forms of connections this may involve connecting two or more information terminals using a cable and carrying out a competitive game in which independently operated characters compete against each other, and for large scale forms of connections this may involve connecting information terminals via a network to a server that provides a service and players with information terminals connected to the same server play the same game. Furthermore, in cases in which multiple information terminals are connected, there are games that have a chat function in which players have a conversation with each other on a display screen by players inputting text information using an input unit such as a game controller.
In this way, various information is exchanged between connected information terminals. Information that is exchanged includes various information such as information that indicates an opponent's strength or condition, information that has been inputted by players using the chat function, and information that synchronizes the game's progress status between the information terminals, but the form of information transmission is definite information transmission in which there is no change in the content of the information between the sending side and the receiving side.
On the other hand, realistically, in the process of propagating information it is common for uncertain elements to be included gradually and for the information to gradually depart from the truth. Accordingly, the authenticity of information that a person has obtained often may not be certain and the content of the information may change from how it was initially as it passes between multiple persons. However, since there may be some truth contained in information whose authenticity is not certain, a person's curiosity is stimulated to want to confirm the authenticity when that person has obtained information of interest to himself.
Accordingly, if there was a transmission method in which, in the process of propagating the information between information terminals, information (the content thereof) was varied so as to increase its uncertainty, information that was initially accurate would gradually change in due course to information that contained uncertainty by propagating information using that transmission method. Thus, a player's curiosity would be stimulated by receiving information having uncertain authenticity, thereby enabling the player's interest in the game to be held for a long period and making the game more captivating.
It should be noted in regard to conventional technologies that no documented information of effective prior art could be discovered relating to a transmission method in which (the content of) information is varied to increase its uncertainty in the process of propagating information among information terminals.
However, the information transmission carried out between conventional information terminals has involved only definite information transmission. Also, in conventional information transmission methods, agreement between players is sometimes a prerequisite for connecting information terminals, which limits the range of information transmission.
Furthermore, when an unspecified large number of players have a conversation using the chat function, the conversation does not become lively unless the players are familiar with each other and the conversation does not continue unless there is a leader skilled at conversation. And without active conversation, little information is transmitted. Furthermore, obtained information is shared only between players capable of participating at the same time and the information that can be brought in is limited to information known by the participating players.
Further still, when participating in a chat using a mobile-type information terminal (a mobile phone or the like), the input unit is inferior compared to a keyboard of a PC for example, and therefore adequate information transmission is not carried out since players are reluctant to chat due to the tendency for lags in conversation (text input).